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A weekly podcast for aspiring filmmakers looking for advice from working professionals and how their stories can inspire you to grow your business and craft. www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee
Episodes
Wednesday Jan 04, 2023
Wednesday Jan 04, 2023
It's that time of year again, although i'm late by a few days, with the end of the year review for 2022! I'm going to cover my income numbers, days on set, most used equipment, least used equipment and some lessons learned from 2022.
If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!
www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee
Monday Nov 28, 2022
Monday Nov 28, 2022
Not directly related to Cinematography but an important toolset to have when working with talent. Whether it's a narrative project or a commercial these are 3 of the best tips i've learned when working with actors that can support you through getting the lighting you were hoping for as well as ensuring both the director and talent can work in your favor to achieve the pre-production plans you made.
If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!
www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee
Sunday Nov 27, 2022
Sunday Nov 27, 2022
Bit of a random question but what jobs do you like taking as an owner/operator? Do you enjoy camera operating a lot and take a good amount of those jobs throughout the year? Perhaps its Gaffing or being a 1st AC? I remember when I first started out I was taking anything job I could get my hands on. As my career progressed and working more as a Cinematographer there were still jobs coming my way. Even to this day i'll take select camera operating jobs and gaffing jobs when I feel I could be useful to the production as well as increasing my yearly income. So my question to you is what jobs do you like and why? Don't feel bad if you're ALWAYS working as a DP because that day will come. Instead find two or three roles you enjoy and mix them all to keep your financial goals steady as well as growing your skill set.
If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!
www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
One of the most important questions a owner/operator can ask of him/herself is, "How do I increase my rates?". When I first started out making $200/$300 to shoot AND edit a project was huge! However, we all know we can't realistically stay in that space forever especially those of us who are looking to make cinematography our specialty and thus a career for ourselves. How do you start increasing/upgrading your rates? In today's podcast I attempt to answer that question with one of those most important elements to know in our business - talk to your clients with a business mindset first and not a creative mindset. Listen to the podcast for the whole story though!
If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!
www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee
Tuesday Oct 11, 2022
Tuesday Oct 11, 2022
Celebrations are in order as my latest commercial "Mentor for Change" took home Best Commercial at the Oniros Film Awards of New York AND at the Cannes World Film Festival! On top of that I'm grateful that we also won Best Cinematography at the Oniros Film Awards, that definitely so great to have industry recognition for a commercial piece of all things. That being said I'm breaking down the commercial for you all and hopefully you can take some of these tricks I use to better your pre-production, cinematography and add to your own lighting arsenal.
Link to the commercial: Mentor for Change
Website for Still Images: https://atdavidlee.com/breakdowns/
If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!
www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee
Friday Oct 07, 2022
Friday Oct 07, 2022
Not it's not click bait but a practical way to use a longer focal length as your wide shot. There's times when you're stuck with a not so ideal location or perhaps having to shoot at the worst time of day and you need a wide shot for a particular scene. One trick I picked up on last year which I used was to use a longer lens, bring the camera back and have more options for shaping light. Think it's BS? Try it out, you'll find that many times you'll be able to get away with better lighting options which in the commercial realm can make a huge difference.
If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!
www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee
Monday Sep 26, 2022
Monday Sep 26, 2022
There's pros and cons to using light domes for lighting as well as using 4x4, 6x6, 8x8 frames etc. To think that one is better than the other shows a lack of experience in the game and to be quite honest shows a great weakness in your lighting capability if you only stick to one. In this episode I offer my pros and cons and when each tool can benefit you depending on the type of project you have. If you're still working your way up the cinematography ladder I hope this episode better informs you on what's available and how it can help you.
If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!
www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee
Saturday Aug 27, 2022
Saturday Aug 27, 2022
One of, if not the, most challenging things you could hear on the day is, "hey can we make it brighter?". Sure we can! The trick is, not actually making what's being captured brighter but just the monitor output itself! The easiest and safest way to do it is by using a slightly modified version of your standard REC709 LUT. In this podcast episode I explain why you want to have two versions of your LUT, how much to adjust your copied LUT version and my workflow on set when monitoring the image for both myself and client/agency.
If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!
www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee
Sunday Aug 14, 2022
Sunday Aug 14, 2022
Have you ever been on set when the client/agency wants to change the schedule? You've spent a good month on pre production, or less, working with the director and agency on lighting setups, what time of day to shoot certain parts of the boards only to have it all blow up in your face? Well maybe not all the time BUT I know you've been there before! Today i'm sharing with you how I approach these discussions, how I used to deal with them and potential ways to create a better on set experience for you and your crew.
If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!
www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee
Thursday Aug 11, 2022
Thursday Aug 11, 2022
I recently rented the A-Set Anamorphics from Atlas and wanted to provide my review of them for those who are looking at renting them for future projects or possibly purchasing them for your own rental business. Overall the optics are clean, the flares i'm not a huge fan, shooting wide open at a T2 is rough and the lenses don't have a lot of character to them. However, these could all be reasons why you want them for your next project so I hope this episode supports you in that endeavor!
If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!
www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee